The Forest Service is responsible for the forests on public lands in the United States. It supervises almost seventy-eight million hectares of forests, grasslands, rivers and lakes. It is an agency of the Department of Agriculture. Forest Service officials say there are four major threats to forests and wild lands in America. The first is the threat of fire and fuel. This year, forest fires have burned more than three million hectares of land. That is almost two times as much as the ten-year average. Fires are a natural part of forest growth, but they can also threaten lives and property. Fuel is dead plant material and small plants that grow under tall trees. As much as forty-nine metric tons of fuel can build up on every hectare of forest floor. The Forest Service estimates that up to one-fourth of the forests it supervises have dangerous levels of fuel. Sometimes foresters set controlled fires to remove the fuel. Other times the fuel must be cleared by hand. Another threat to forests is from invasive species. These are non-native plants and animals that push out native kinds. They can cause a lot of economic damage. Some invaders are insects like the Asian longhorn beetle (长角甲虫). Some are diseases like white pine rust blister (锈蚀庖). Others are plants like the fast-growing kudzu vine (野葛藤). The Foreign Service has hundreds of experts who try to develop ways to deal with invasive species. The agency says another threat to the health of wild lands is the loss of open space. It says over one hectare of forest or grassland is lost to development every minute. Development also leads to the division of large natural areas into smaller ones. Many animals need wide open spaces. Also, building near wild lands increases the risk to homes from forest fires. The fourth threat to public lands is what the Forest Service calls unmanaged recreation. People can hunt, fish and camp in many national forests. But careless use of motor vehicles and other actions can be destructive. On November second, the Forest Service released a new rule on the use of motor vehicles on public lands. The rule requires each national forest to identify roads and paths that are open to motor vehicles. Vehicles will be banned from other areas. The ban, however, will not affect snowmobiles (雪上汽车). The invasive species will drive________ out of the forest.
In the interest of lightness of weight, everything you carry in your pack should serve as many purposes as possible. Clothing and sleeping gear constitute the greatest amount of bulk in your pack and probably the most weight. Thus, you should choose clothes and sleeping gear with a great deal of versatility in mind. Get the maximum use from the various items of clothing and sleeping gear and combinations of them. For example, instead of two pairs of long pants, carry one pair of long pants and a pair of shorts. You can wear the shorts alone, or the long pants alone, or both at the same time. The same with shirts. Instead of one heavy shirt, carry two medium-weight shirts-one with long sleeves, one with short sleeves. Carry two light-weight wool, sweaters instead of a heavy sweater or jacket. Even better, carry a light-weight wool sweater and a wind shell. This gives you three possibilities: sweater alone, shell alone, sweater and shell together. Additionally, you will be warmer in several layers of clothing than in one layer of heavy clothing. The shell, light sweater, and two shirts will keep you warmer than one shirt and a heavy sweater or jacket. This same layering principle applies when you sleep. Better to have a light-weight sleeping bag and wear several layers of clothing than to have a heavy-duty, low-temperature sleeping bag. Of course, different people sleep warm or cold, depending upon their body metabolism. And those needs should obviously be considered in the assembly of clothes" they carry. Should you find yourself in a freak situation such as zero temperature, when you start out in weather that should not have dropped below 30 degrees, there are a number of things you can do to improve the warmth of your sleep. (1) You can sleep inside a tent, of course. This increases the temperature by 5 to 10 degrees and it cuts the wind chill factor substantially. (2) Camp out of the wind if possible. This cuts down the wind chill factor. (3) Place your sleeping bags close together. This retains the heat for all of you. (4) Camp on the side of a hill instead of on the valley floor, especially on clear nights. Warmer air lifts up and off the valley floor on clear nights. There can be as much as 15 degrees difference between the temperature on the side of the hill and that on the valley floor. The author believes that everything in your pack should________.
A. be lightweight
B. serve an important purpose
C. serve several purpose
D. keep the pack warm
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
A. [A] They are difficult to read. [C] They were not made from wood pulp.
B. [B] They are slowly falling apart. [D] They should be stored, in a cold place.
·Read the following article about French bank and answer the questions. ·For each question (15-20), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. If you want to buy a property in France, whether it is a permanent house or a holiday apartment, it is important to open a French bank account. Although it is possible to pay on traveller’s cheques, Eurocheques and credit cards issued by British banks, the fees for these services can be expensive. The simplest way to pay regular bills, such as electricity, gas, or telephone, particularly when you are not in residence, is by direct debit from your French account. To open a current account, you will need to show your passport and birth certificate and to provide your address in your native country. You will be issued with a cheque book within weeks of opening the account. In France it is illegal to be overdrawn. All accounts must be operated in credit. However, there are no bank charges. Note that cheques take longer to clear in France than in Britain, and can only be stopped if stolen or lost. The easiest way to transfer money from a British bank to a French one is by bank transfer: simply provide your British bank with the name, address and number of your French bank account. The procedure takes about a week and costs between £25 and £40 for each transaction depending on your British bank. Alternatively, you can transfer money via a French bank in London. You can also send a sterling cheque (allow at least 12 days for the cheque to be cleared). Eurocheques or traveller’s cheques. Finally, it is a good idea to make friends with your French bank manager.His help can prove invaluable. One advantage French banks have over British banks is that
A. you may take out more money than what is in the account
B. the interest rates on bank accounts are higher
C. cheques are dealt with more rapidly
D. you don’t have to pay for services